The Menagerie - Old News

Old News
"I am better now than I was a year ago. I am better today than I was yesterday. I was better five seconds ago than I was five minutes ago, and I am better now. One step closer to Death; one step closer to Immortality."

- StormDrake

Home

As a fan of history, I like to be able to trace the chronology of anything that interests me. Whether it is a band that I like, a web site that I visit, or an author or artist I am fond of, the passage of time affects all things… and it is the how that intrigues me. I also like to pretend that such histories interest others as well. So rather than let Time remove all reckoning of earlier incarnations of the Menagerie (and rather than have a front page that requires days to scroll through), I have moved every update and update message ever to grace the front page of the Menagerie to this area. I do this for myself, but also for those who may have been absent for a long time, or who are as interested in the past as I am.

All links have been removed, as many are no longer valid. Also, some minor changes may not have been mentioned in previous updates, and thus will escape notice here. But if you are interested in knowing exactly when a specific image was added to the Menagerie… this should help.

The Menagerie 3.x

News Saturday, November 27, 2004

So it turns out that four hurricanes were only the beginning of my problems. I'm not going to devote too much space to complaining about past events, but let's just say that I can't wait until my next birthday, when I'll finally be old enough to rent a car in the state of Florida.

Anyway... still nothing new in the Menagerie, but I've got around a dozen sketches drawn and scanned, ready for inking and coloring. While I can't promise that all of them will make it onto this site, you can be sure to expect a sizable update some time before 2005. Heh.

Also, I would like to announce a Free Commission Contest. See that counter at the top of the page? If you are the 99,999th person to visit the Menagerie, and can send me a screenshot of the front page with counter, I will reward you with a Free Commission, as per the rules and regulations set forth on my Commissions page, not to exceed $20 in value (I'll throw in one print for free). I will also reward someone for a screenshot proving they are the 100,000th visitor to this site. There will be a limit of one commission per person, so if you are lucky enough to be number 99,999, be nice and let someone else get the 100K award. If two people provide the necessary screenshots, then I will do two free commissions. If only one person sends me proof of their being special, I'll only do one commission. If no one sends me a screenshot, I will be very happy to have had one hundred thousand (or so) web surfers visit my site, but I will not give out any free commissions. I'm trusting people to send me authentic screenshots; if I have any reason to suspect that someone is cheating (digital manipulation of an image, et cetera), I'll be more than a little sad. And you won't like me when I'm sad.

So good luck, and stay tuned to the Menagerie for more exciting happenings!

- - StormDrake
NP: Symphony X - Twilight in Olympus (1998)

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News Wednesday, October 6, 2004

Four hurricanes and major vehicular problems later, and StormDrake is still alive and well. The past few months have been incredibly chaotic, but I'm still here, and I still have artwork in progress. I've even got some literary endeavors almost ready for posting. So stick around, sorry for the delay in new content (blame Hurricane Charley for quite literally passing right over my house), and take care…

- - StormDrake
NP: Coheed & Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3 (2003)

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Update Saturday, July 17, 2004

Art - Alternative Transformations - "The Avatar"

Art - Alternative Transformations - "The Eye Elf"

Art - Alternative Transformations - Skin Factor: Red Slime

Art - Alternative Transformations - Skin Factor: Teflon

Art - Non-Transformational Artwork - The Suits: Gail Evans 2

Art - Non-Transformational Artwork - The Suits: Marion Marsh 2

Art - The Saga of Blood - Black Pudding-Blooded: Meredith

Here we are… just over three months since the last update, but hopefully worth the wait. Seven new pieces of art, featuring the likes of the Suits and Skin Factor, as well as another character for the Saga of Blood universe and a pair exemplifying my usual artistic weirdness. I'm experimenting with using colored linework rather than just filling in between the black likes like a coloring book, and I must say that the results are very pleasing. I'm also endeavoring to create more dynamic art… yes, I am aware that most of my drawings feature characters in generally the same stance. But I'm working on it. Everything but anatomy, eh?
Anyway, things have been hectic lately, but life seems to be progressing in a generally beneficial direction, so I'm not going to complain. I'm looking forward to getting better with my new Tablet (I only really used it on one of these new images… can you guess which one?), and expanding the magazine I work for into new territories. Oh, and some new art, too. And believe it or not, I am writing transformational fiction. Sort of. I'm not sure if any will make it to the next update, but one can always hope.

- - StormDrake
NP: Lamb of God - As the Palaces Burn (2003)

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News Saturday, July 10, 2004

Art: I'm still alive, and I'm still drawing... in fact, I'm only one image or so away from posting an update (I've got enough finished artwork for an update, but I've only an hour or so more to finish what I'm currently working on, and then only one more sketch to ink/color before my Work in Progress folder is empty once more). So soon... in the mean time, I just got a Tablet! Specifically, I bought a WACOM Graphire3, 4 x 5, midnight blue... it's beautiful. Doom 3 aside, I'm never going to use a mouse again. Click here to see a picture of my new Tablet, as shown by NewEgg (the site that I bought it from). I'm too new to the Tablet, and too far along with the current batch of art, for there to be any noticeable influence on the part of my new toy in the next update (continue reading for more info). But be prepared (hopefully) for some MAD SKILLZ come subsequent updates. ;)

Employment: Believe it or not, I am now a magazine editor! Less than two weeks ago, I got promoted to Editor of the magazine I have been writing for. With the promotion came an increase in wages (I am now paid a salary, which is cool), as well as an increase in creative control. The magazine I work for currently has a circulation of 20,000 homes + 1,000 businesses... approximately 30,000 - 40,000 readers. It's cool... but I get letters responding to what I say and what I do, so it's a little scary in a self-conscious sort of way. Nonetheless... I don't say this to brag, but rather to justify my lack of weekly (or even monthly) updates. But that doesn't mean transformations aren't on my mind on an almost daily basis.

Conclusion: Come back soon! Specifically, expect an update within the next two weeks for sure - almost definitely next weekend.

- - StormDrake
NP: Don Salsa - Koolaid Moustache in Jonestown (1999)

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News Monday, April 26, 2004

I have registered with the Animal Transformation Ring. Again. Let's hope that this time, posting the necessary code at the entrance to the Menagerie doesn't cause loading problems like it did last time.

- - StormDrake
NP: Secret Chiefs 3 - Live at Slims - San Francisco, California (August 17, 1998)

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Update Saturday, April 10, 2004

Art - Alternative Transformations - Unnamed Mutant #2

Art - Conjoinment Art - Kris + Renee

Art - Non-Transformational Artwork - The Suits: Richard Carlin

Art - Non-Transformational Artwork - The Suits: Marion Marsh

Art - The Saga of Blood - Wyvern-Blooded: Kelly

Literature - Fiction - Serpentine Metamorphosis

Literature - Fiction - Unfinished Comic Script

Spring cleaning!

Seriously, though, this update pretty much consists of the last of my sketches that had not been inked and colored and two pieces of short fiction that I recently discovered. These five drawings mean my Work in Progress folder is empty for the first time in about a year. So it's time to pull out the pencil and sketchbook, and come up with some new drawings. If you've got any ideas, requests, suggestions, et cetera, then send them my way via the e-mail address on the Contact page. The two pieces of fiction were written several years ago, possibly as fulfillments of requests, that I'm putting up because they're actually not that bad.

Now that the slate is clear once more, I will be devoting some time to creating some fresh art and literature, as well as various other non-transformational endeavors. But look forward to bigger and better updates later this year. Once again, thanks for dropping by. See you soon!

- - StormDrake
NP: Tilt - Collect 'em All (1998)

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Update Wednesday, March 17, 2004

Art - Alternative Transformations - Skin Factor: Glow

Art - Conjoinment Art - Eleanor + Tara

Art - The Saga of Blood - Chimaera-Blooded: April

Happy St. Patrick's Day, and welcome to another exciting update here at the Menagerie.

As you can see (but just in case you can't), things are a bit different this time around. The biggest reason for a lack of update these past few months has been my new job (happy belated New Year, by the by); it turns out that I really like graphic design, much to my surprise. I've learned a heck of a lot about Photoshop since the end of last year, and even picked up a few tricks regarding web design. Thus, version 3.8 of the Menagerie. I was actually intending to do a complete site redesign, but decided after a month or so of toying with ideas that I liked things the way they are. For now. But I needed to make some changes; I've learned that a web site is only as good as it's navigation, so at long last the Menagerie has one. It uses JavaScript and DHTML, but should be backwards compatable through IE4.0. And even if you have such code turned off, it should work in a limited respect. Additionally, moving your mouse cursor over image thumbnails (except in the Discontinued Artwork area) will bring up a quick blurb or description, as a means of conveying even more information to the surfer. I retyped pretty much all the text on this site (15,000+ words, not counting fiction or poetry!), this time in Microsoft Word, so that should do away with the spelling errors. And also, this site is now better optimized for 800 x 600 resolutions. Not that anyone complained... but you get the picture. A few improvements here, a few changes there, and suddenly it's like a whole new Menagerie. A website transformation, if you will. Just let me know if something doesn't work, so I can fix it.

Anyway, most of the past few months have been spent on the webwork, but I don't like updating without at least three new images, so... here are three new images. I hope you enjoy them; I feel more confident than ever with my inking and coloring skills, and it's only a matter of time before I decide to spend some time on actually drawing something well, not just coloring it well. I swear.

So welcome back. It's going to be a great year.

- - StormDrake
NP: Cannibal Corpse - The Wretched Spawn (2004)

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Update Sunday, December 21, 2003

Art - Aquarium - Aquatic Transformation

Art - Aviary - "Julie, the Reluctant Harpy Queen"

Art - The Saga of Blood - Scylla-Blooded: Allison

Other - Transformation Resources - Complete Transformation Guide to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003

Other - Transformation Resources - Complete Transformation Guide to X-Men: Evolution

Salutations. It's that time again... three new images this update, as well as a pair of comprehensive lists of transformations for various contemporary cartoons. Believe it or now, I had such a list completed for the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon... and then proceeded to save over it by mistake. Needless to say, I was a bit upset, and haven't redone the list yet. But take my word, it would have been glorious.

I am now a graphic designer for an advertising/marketing company, as well as a staff writer and layout designer for a monthly news magazine. This has been wonderful for me; I highly encourage each of you to get a job doing what you love. But it has also meant a sharp decrease in spare time. Thus, barely more than three new pieces of art in two months. So I expect the time between updates will stay at about two months, or possibly longer, depending on any major projects I am working on. But they will come nonetheless.

I finally have a new site design planned for the Menagerie. So be afraid.

Oh, and a Happy Winter Solstice to all those who celebrate this holiday!

- - StormDrake
NP: The Offspring - Splinter (2003)

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Update Friday, October 17, 2003

Art - Alternative Transformations - Salamander + Beholder + Girl

Art - Aviary - "Nina's Necklace"

Art - Bestiary - Black Panther Transformation 2

Art - Non-Transformational Artwork - The Suits: Eric Armstrong

Art - The Saga of Blood - Chimaera-Blooded: Jessica Swift

Welcome back! It hasn't been that long since the last update (comparatively speaking), but I'm hoping that you won't mind. Five new pieces this time around, ranging from "normal" to "maddeningly bizarre." A few of these took me far longer to ink and color than any other art to date, which probably means that I'm spending too much time doing transformation-themed artwork and not enough time doing other things... but I'm hoping you won't mind that, either. So enjoy.

On the real-life side of things, my work responsibilities have recently tripled (as has what I am being paid). As well as writing for a local news publication, I am now doing work for a marketing/advertising firm owned by the same people who publish my paper. Which means I am getting paid to design ads and business cards and other promotional items in photoshop, I am writing press releases, and more... I'm really happy with the way my employment has evolved. Of course, it means I am spending more time in the office and less time at home. But on the plus side, I have an office.

That's about it for now. As always, I don't know how long it will be until my next update, but I'll likely say something about it on the TFCentral Forums. So keep your eyes peeled on that location, or just drop by every day and boost my web counter. Thanks!

- - StormDrake
NP: Dream Theater - Metropolis - Part II: Scenes from a Memory (1999)

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News Tuesday, September 30, 2003

I discovered a means by which I can optimize image files, decreasing their size while retaining image quality. So I went through the Menagerie and optimized every image. The result is a site that is more than 5 MB smaller than it was before, without sacrificing image quality. With most images I was only able to shave off a few dozen KB, but with some of the larger files, I managed to shrink them by as much as 100 KB each, in some cases more. This should speed up the download time on some of this site's art by a few seconds, at least. Not much in the grand scheme of things, perhaps, but every little bit counts, right?

- - StormDrake
NP: Nobuo Uematsu - Final Fantasy IX OST (2000)

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Update Friday, September 19, 2003

Art - Alternative Transformations - "Eye Pudding"

Art - Alternative Transformations - "The Nightmare Virus - Alexis"

Art - Alternative Transformations - "The Nightmare Virus - Melissa"

Art - Conjoinment Art - Conjoinment 7

Art - The Saga of Blood - Beholder-Blooded: Ryan

Art - The Saga of Blood - Quetzalcóatl-Blooded: Lynn

Art - The Saga of Blood - Yaxaban-Blooded: Sarah Anne + Sarah Beth

This update was supposed to have come much sooner... but near the end of July, I gave my computer a much-needed reformatting, and while I was smart enough to save all my art and writing and important files, I was not smart enough to save the ftp login information required to upload files to this site. Oops. Anyway, thanks be to Ashley for helping me out yet again, and for putting up with me for several years (this is not the first time this has happened).

Nonetheless, I have managed to put up several new pieces, as well as change some of the formatting of this site. These formatting changes were actually going to be the main focus of this update; the art came only after I finished these changes and found myself unable to update, though I am happy with the way they turned out. My inking and coloring skills are improving, if I do say so myself. I'm even experimenting with alternative coloring techniques! Now all I need to do is to figure out that whole anatomy thing.

As time passes, I find myself having more and more difficulty conveying all the information that I wish through my site, in an efficient and aesthetic way, without overwhelming myself or others. Thus, I have made some changes to the way things are organized throughout the Menagerie, added some navigations and some additional information, et cetera. Many thanks to Felnaari for giving me some pointers and advice. I also got a new counter; I didn't realize how buggy the other one was until I reformatted, and couldn't load up the counter at all. This one uses considerably less Java (if any at all), and should speed up the load time of the front page.

If anyone has any problems with any aspect of this site, counter or formatting, please let me know. Otherwise, I will assume all is good in the realm of the Menagerie.

Thanks, and enjoy!

- - StormDrake
NP: Opeth - Damnation (2003)

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Update Friday, July 11, 2003

Art - Aquarium - Mermaid Transformation 2

Art - Bestiary - Bovine Transformation

Art - Bestiary - Elephant Transformation

Art - Bestiary - Wolf Transformation

Art - Non-Transformational Artwork - The Suits: Hannah Blair

Art - The Saga of Blood - Kraken-Blooded: Heather

Art - TFan Art - The Powerpuff Girls: Bubbles Blowfish

Believe it or not, five out of the seven pieces in this update were done in the past week. For whatever reason, I have recently been overwhelmed with the urge to ink and color as many sketches as possible, even at the expense of other endeavors. The result is an update of seven new images less than two months since the last update, and far sooner than I was expecting. This must be some kind of record for me. ;)

Any way, the images in this update may seem to be somewhat... "normal," at least compared to my usual art themes. Perhaps those who are not a fan of the more "bizarre" transformations that I tend to favor will enjoy these. Though I do expect that my next update will feature a slew of conjoinments and other oddities, so consider yourself warned.

Nonetheless, now that I have completed and uploaded some new artwork, I hope to be able to concentrate on some necessary job work... I've got a huge number of articles to finish by next Friday, and am curious as to whether I will actually be able to write them all or not. Ah well... we'll see.

- - StormDrake
NP: Morbid Angel - Blessed Are the Sick (1991)

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Update Friday, May 30, 2003

Art - Alternative Transformations - Tree Transformation

Art - Anthropomorphic Art - Ryan

Art - Non-Transformational Artwork - The Suits: Gail Evans

Art - The Saga of Blood - Chimaera-Blooded: Tara

Art - The Saga of Blood - Quetzalcóatl-Blooded: Elizabeth

Art - Guest Gallery - Tifa Chocobo by the Albino

Literature - Guest Library - "Tifa Chocobo"

Other - Transformation Resources - Complete Transformation Guide to Gargoyles

Welcome to another fantastic update to the Menagerie! Or something like that. Five new images from yours truly this time around, plus a drawing and story by a new guest, the Albino. I know this isn't the huge update I promised back in March, but I wanted to post some new art before too long, and I figure that five pieces of my own work is a healthy amount.

Also, I have finally opened up the Transformation Resources section of the Menagerie. This is intended to be a place for non-fiction information regarding transformations, either lists of transformations from specific shows or essay discussions, and more. I have started this section off with a list of every transformation from every episode of the "Gargoyles" animated series, so if you are a fan of the show, or of transformations, check it out.

There will be, of course, more art coming in the future. Most likely another month or two, as that seems to be my frequency for updates. My current job doesn't pay enough, so I need to find a supplimentary source of income... but I am making money writing, so I don't want to give it up for another job... so for the time being, I alternate between a few weeks of being extremely busy with no free time and a few weeks of too much free time. Blah blah blah... how many times can I say the same thing in a different way? Expect more art eventually, as determined by real-life happenings to the man behind the drake. Heh.

- - StormDrake
NP: Koji Kondo - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker OST (2003)

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News Thursday, March 27, 2003

I have added a page with information on commissions; if you would like a piece of exclusive StormDrake art, please check that page for more information. I don't know if anyone would be interested in such... but just in case, here you go. ;)

Also, I've got close to two dozen images drawn and scanned, ready to be inked and colored. Of course, not every image will make it to the Menagerie, but nonetheless expect a large update in the next month or so.

- - StormDrake
NP: Arcturus - Aspera Hiems Symfonia (1995)

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Update Monday, March 03, 2003

Art - Anthropomorphic Art - Renee

Art - Anthropomorphic Art - StormDrake - Student

Art - The Saga of Blood - Aimee

Welcome to version 3.4 of the Menagerie! I sat down to redesign this site, but discovered that I was pretty happy with the way things were set up. However, I still needed to make some changes and fix things up, so I rewrote all the HTML from scratch, and added a bit more color to improve the appearance of the site, especially this front page. There are some new sections (a few of which are coming soon), and several pieces of art and literature have been moved around to better fit my updated views of categorization. There are also a few new images, though they came second to time spent getting version 3.4 of the Menagerie up and running. I'm rather happy with the way things turned out, I must admit, so I hope that the modified Menagerie appeals to visitors as well.

And to reiterate what was previously set forth, all images have now been converted to the .png format. They may not be viewable by some older browsers, but the nature of cyberspace requires that one keeps up with new technology, so I do not forsee a problem for the majority of surfers and visitors. If you cannot or will not use a browser that recognizes .png's, then I am sorry, but barring unforseen circumstances, all images in the Menagerie will now be in this format.

That's about it for now... I've got new artwork planned, and have been making a return to writing in recent weeks (though because I write a lot for my job, I don't always feel up for writing for pleasure). So enjoy the new Menagerie, and please let me know if there are any errors, problems, or typos. Thank you for coming to my site.

Oh, and for a good example of how my artistic skills have improved over the years, I invite you to compare this early drawing of the Saga of Blood Character Aimee with the new image of Aimee that is a part of this update. I do not claim to be a great artist, but even I am amazed by the difference between these two pictures.

- - StormDrake
NP: The Kovenant - Nexus Polaris (1998)

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The Menagerie 3.0

Update

Saturday, January 11, 2003

Art - Alternative TF - Bubblegum Crisis

Art - Alternative TF - The Glue Lizard

Art - Alternative TF - Mutant - Dolzard

Art - Alternative TF - The Writer's Obsession

Art - Anthropomorphic Art - Fox - Reading

Art - Bestiary - Reverse Serpent

Art - Conjoinment - Conjoinment 4

Art - Conjoinment - Conjoinment 5

Art - Conjoinment - Conjoinment 6

Art - The Saga of Blood - Scylla - Erin

Art - TFan Art - Freex - Sweet Face

Happy Birthday to the Menagerie!

Today marks four years of existance for the Menagerie, four years of transformative art and literature brought to the World Wide Web by yours truly, StormDrake. It was four years ago today that the first incarnation of the Menagerie made its appearance on TransFur. Now hosted on the wonderful Furvect server, the Menagerie has seen its share of site redesigns, extended absences, and reorganizations. But the Menagerie is still here, and if four years mean anything at all, they mean that this site and this Drake will be here for the long-haul.

Four years, and over 40,000 hits. January 11th... and 11 new pieces of art! This is the second largest art update to the Menagerie ever (with the largest being 17 new images on St. Valentine's Day 2000). I do feel that this is some of my best art ever created. Of course, I am my own worst critic, and I find myself already disliking several of these images. But for the sake of numerical symmetry, I present to the World Wide Web eleven new images on the eleventh day of January.

You may notice that all the new images are in .png format. I am sorry if anyone out there is not using a browser that can view this type of image, but from now on all new art will be uploaded as .pngs. And when I next redesign this site, all other images will be converted to .pngs. This is not intended to spite those who cannot or will not use a browser capable of viewing such file types, but rather comes from both a desire to present my drawings in as high a quality as possible and my belief that the .png file type is superior to both .jpgs and .gifs. My actions may estrange me from some Transformation Fans, but unless the sentiment on this is overwhelmingly negative, this is the way things will be from now on.

That's it for this update. With this, I have inked and colored every sketch I had planned for new art. So it's back to the sketchbook. Next up will be a site redesign, followed by new artwork. I am also in the design stages for a new homepage (the Citadel being my oldest footpring on the web, but absent for two or three years). So stay tuned for new greatness in 2003.

Happy New Year!

- - StormDrake
NP: Slipknot - Iowa (2001)

Update

Tuesday, November 05, 2002

Art - Aquarium - Mermaid Transformation

Art - Conjoinment - Conjoinment 3

Art - The Saga of Blood - Quetzalcoatl - Dana

If you haven't already voted today, go out and do so. Then come back here.

I was hoping for a larger update, but my new job has been taking up a lot of my time. I'm a staff writer (some would say "reporter") for a local newspaper. I've wanted to be a writer since I was four years old, and at last I am being paid for my writing. Yay. Anyway, I was going to wait until I had some more art to put up, but I don't want to wait another half a year before updating, so hopefully this will do.

More art is in progress, and I'm going to try to update again before Christmas. I'm also toying around with the idea of changing the layout to the Menagerie yet again, so be on the lookout for the Menagerie v4.0. Maybe.

And just as a warning, expect all art to eventually be converted to a .png format. I understand that many browsers cannot quite handle this format, but .jpgs are lossy, and lose quality when rendered online or copied/resaved, and most of my art uses too many colors for .gifs. Thumbnails and the site graphics will most likely remain as .gifs, but all previous artwork will be converted to .png, and new artwork uploaded in that format.

That's it for now. Thanks for visiting my little place here on the World Wide Web. You're cool!

- - StormDrake
NP: Luca Turilli - King of the Nordic Twilight (1999)

News	Sunday, September 15, 2002

The new counter seems to be running wonderfully. If anyone has a problem with it, or notices before I that it has reset, please let me know.
Also, GreyWyvern has done a wonderful job of building his own Animal Transformation Ring that does not include any of the annoyances of the previous ATF Webring. So go check out his site and thank him for a job well done.
New artwork is still in the works; I've been spending most of my spare drawing/writing time working on some Saga of Blood background information that will most likely not be seen by anyone but myself... but I'm almost done with that, and then I will finish up some art I have in progress.
- - StormDrake
NP: Various Artists - The Crow OST (1994)

News	Wednesday, August 28, 2002

I replaced the horribly unreliable Senac counter with one from counter.bloke.com, which should work better, and should actually allow me to offset it in order to display a more accurate hit count. With any luck, the counter over to the left should read 30,000 or so. If not... anyone know where I could learn to code my own counter?

Anyway, I've been working on some new art, and will post it when I get a few more pieces put together. Coming soon... theoretically.

- - StormDrake
NP: The Strokes - Is This It (2001)

News	Thursday, August 08, 2002

The Menagerie is now a part of the Animal Transformation Ring. Assuming the correct code is in place, that is. So if you like this site (or even if you did not), I would recommend some of the other sites on this ring. Webring navigation may be found on the Links page of this site, as well as the bottom of this page.
- - StormDrake
NP: Emperor - IX Equilibrium (1999)

Update

Tuesday, August 06, 2002

Art - Alternative - Mutant

Art - Alternative - Tentical Transformation

Art - Alternative - Trapped in Glue

Art - Bestiary - Black Panther Transformation

Art - The Saga of Blood - Naga 2

Literature - The Saga of Blood - Mitchell the Hunter

At long last, an update! This is the first time new artwork has appeared in the Menagerie since... October of 2000. Twenty-two months ago. Wow. After that long, even I wouldn't expect me to update ever again. But here it is, proof that the Menagerie is not dead, merely awakening after a rather lengthy period of hibernation. So forgive the sluggishness and lack of coordination, if you will.
This update sees new additions to four sections of the site, five new drawings and one story courtesy of Lord Mitchell, who sent me this story thirteen months ago, so has been more than patient. Thanks, dude! As always, some of my latest onslaught of art is good, and some of it is bad, but all of it is mine, so ask before stealing. Please.
Anyway, I don't know when the next update will be, but hopefully it will be sooner than twenty-two months from now.
- - StormDrake
NP: Nobuo Uematsu - Final Fantasy VI OSV (1994)

News	Tuesday, July 30, 2002

Salutations. This is StormDrake, returning from a rather lengthy absence to put to rest any rumors of my death or permanent disappearance from the realm of transformation art and literature. There is no new art or stories with this update, I'm sorry to say, but I do have a few new pieces that will be making their way to this site soon. In the mean time, I have gone through and fixed a few errors I found throughout the Menagerie, reworded things here and there (damn, is it almost time for another site revamp?), and basically cleaned up the HTML a bit.

So, what have I been up to the past... year and a half? Well basically, I had a shift in my priorities, and decided to devote more time to music and writing of other sorts, and to be a bit more social. I also had a lot of senior-year work, and the rest of my life to plan out... things like that. Then I graduated from college (I now possess a Bachelor of Arts in English). I moved back home to Southwest Florida, spent two months unemployed, and finally got a job as a staff writer/reporter for a local newspaper. But I haven't forgotten transformations; I've been drawing on and off since I disappeared, and though I doubt my artistic skills have gotten especially better, I figured I'd go ahead and put together an update for the Menagerie, and basically clear away the cobwebs from an area I might have neglected, but never truly lost interest in.

Anyway, feel free to come back in a few days, a week, or some period of time like that, and with any luck I'll have some new art or literature up. I won't be updating every week, or probably not every month, and with my new job I never know how much time I will have to myself during a given week... but this is a hobby that I will never completely abandon.

- - StormDrake

News	Saturday, May 12, 2001

Hey, I can post news here without having to wait until I am posting new artwork! Cool!

Anyway, this is just a quick note saying that Wyvern, Inc. is finally up. So go check out my fictional umbrella organization. And boost my counter.

Update

Thursday, April 01, 2001

No, this is not an April Fool's Day joke.

Welcome to the new and improved Menagerie. It has indeed been some time since I last passed this way... too long. And while there is not any new artwork to show for the long wait between updates, be assured that I am devoting more time to this hobby.

Anyways, I hope that you enjoy your stay here. I have upgraded the site design, in my ongoing attempt to improve my own HTML skills. I have also changed servers... no more frequent downtime or popup advertisements. Very special thanks to Footboy for helping me with the design, looking over things to make sure they work properly, and for encouragement.

That being said... welcome back.

The Menagerie 2.0

Update

Tuesday, October 24, 2000

Art - Alicorn 2

Art - Conjoinment 5

Art - Dragon 2

Art - Quedaan 1

Art - Shadow 2

Art - StormDrake - Student

Art - Wyvern 1

Art - Yaxaban 1

Literature - "God"

Literature - "The Piper's Calling"

Alright, so it has been a while since I last updated the Menagerie. More than five months, in fact. This has quite possibly been the longest I have ever taken between updates. But then again, I never fooled myself into thinking that I would have new art or literature to put up every two weeks. I update when I feel like it, and when I have been inspired enough to create some new art and fiction to actually post. But every so often, my muse decides she needs a vacation, and I am left hanging. Still, an explaination is in order, regarding both my seeming hiatus from TF work, and the future of this site.

First off, regarding art, I have come to the realization recently that my art is... less than spectacular. I have never fooled myself and pretended that I was the greatest of artists. But I have been spending a lot more time talking to artists who post on news.yerf.com, and learning about art. I have decided that, while I will likely never be able to make any money off of drawing, or turn it into a profession in and of itself, I would like to become better at drawing. I am now on a sort of "artist's sabatical," and will be producing no more TF or furry art until I feel that I have improved in skill. This might be a few weeks, or a few months. But until I am more pleased with my own work, I can't keep posting personally-unacceptible art on this site.

What does this mean? Well, first of all, I am not dissapearing forever. This site, and all the artwork upon it, will be staying up. I will continue to be updating in the interim, mostly in the form of literature. But it might be some time until anyone sees an art update to this site. I will still be fulfilling promised works - if I owe someone a drawing, for a trade or contest or what have you, please let me know. It might have slipped between the cracks these past few months, but that does not mean I have lost interest in them, or do not wish to fulfill them. I still love drawing, and I promise that I am doing even more drawing than ever before. But for now, it is for my sketchbook and not my web page.

This update... all of these pictures were drawn some time ago. Most are from May or June of this year, and were mostly finished, but never posted. I feel that my drawing skills have greatly surpassed these works, but are not yet up to par with my own expectations. The art posted in this update is definitely new, and I was finishing up on the color of some of them as recently as yesterday. I hope you enjoy these.

As always, tell me if what I do is good or bad. Feedback. Feedback! Feedback! I assure you, no one coming to this site is capable of hurting my feelings. If you have a need to slam my artwork, do so! All I ask is that you form comments and criticisms in such a way that I might learn from them, and move to improve myself. If my artwork is not as good as the likes of Ranzab or Ian Williams, it will definitely not get there if no one tells me how to improve. You are helping everyone, by giving constructive criticism. Please.

I finally got the three Saga of Blood Contest drawings done (yeah!). It took too long... but here they are. I will be putting up the stories I owe for the contest in another update, coming soon (I swear! ...maybe.). Thank you for being patient, and thanks be to those who took part in this contest. I will try something like this again next year.

Major site overhaul next update! I am working on some serious HTML renovations for both the Menagerie and Wyvern, Inc. Hey, I am hoping to be able to make a living one day doing HTML or web design or something similar. I've even gotten paid for doing web work! But I wouldn't hire myself, the way things look around here. So expect a more professional look to things in the future.

If you don't own Blind Guardian's most recent album "Nightfall in Middle Earth" (Century Media, 1998), go buy it now. This is a command, not a choice.

That's it, I think. Thanks for hanging out, and stay tuned for what's to come!

Update

Wednesday, May 10, 2000

Art - Aquatic 1

Art - Cockatrice 1 by Dingbat

Art - Conjoinment 4

Art - Glue Lizard 2

Art - Naga 6

Art - Pegasus 2 by Wolf-Max

Art - RUCT - You Are What You Eat

Art - Shachihoko 1 by Jaggs

Art - Sirrush 1 by Tokath Novis

Art - Sphinx 1 by TF Spinner

Art - StormDrake - Elanduril

Art - StormDrake in Fury by Ya Baha'u'l-Abha

Art - Tandirhyn

Art - Taryn 2

Literature - "By the Campfire" by Jay Winger

Literature - "The Immortal Pegasus" by Wolf-Max

Literature - "Urizo's Tale" by Weird Seal

Check it out! Lots of new artwork by yours truly, and even better than before! I've been picking up a few new Photoshop techniques, and have started actually doing backgrounds (mostly in Photoshop). I feel that most of my new art is my best yet. What do you think?

I also moved the entries for the Saga of Blood Create a Character Contest around to their respective galleries. Awards coming soon!

I am going to try to make at least one update per month, from now on. This is not a promise, nor a commitment... but a proposal. If there is nothing for me to update, I am not going to post trash. Also, finals are the upcoming week or two, which is bad... but after that is summer vacation, which is good. So stay tuned for more artwork and literature in the months to come!

News	Friday, April 07, 2000

The Saga of Blood Create a Character Contest is complete! It was a great contest, with a number of entries. Winning drawings get a story, and winning stories get a drawing. Check it out! And if you didn't get to take part in this contest this time... you should have!

Update

Monday, March 13, 2000

Art - StormDrake by TF Spinner

Not much for this update, I am afraid. Mainly, the Menagerie has moved locations once again. This time, hopefully for good. Not much of a shift, but just a minor change to help integrate everything into the new Wyvern, Inc. system. However, TF Spinner sent me a great picture of myself, and for this I am greatful. Thanks a bundle!

Update

Monday, February 14, 2000

Art - Avian 2

Art - Beholder

Art - Cat Golem

Art - Dolphin 2

Art - Green Slime 5

Art - Human Golem

Art - Naga 5 (new one)

Art - Pull-Up

Art - RUCT - Pteranodon

Art - Scylla 2

Art - Size Reduction

Art - Sweet Face 2

Art - Sweet Face 3

Art - Tara 2

Art - Taryn

Art - Tifa Chocobo

Art - Tiger

Literature - "Autumn Leaves"

Literature - "A Wolf in Princess' Clothing"

Removed Naga 5 (old one)

Happy Valentines Day! It's a new year, a new century, and a new millenium... and I have finally made time to finish the changes on the Menagerie. I added four new sections for artwork and reorganized everything. The Menagerie is now even closer to being one of the greatest transformation sites on the Internet! Thanks go to everyone who has supported this site from the beginning, and I hope you see the Menagerie off into a new millenium.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them my way. This is a site for myself and for others. And while I am pretty sure I know what I want, I am not so certain about the desires of others. If you want something, you need only ask.

And one last item to mention: I am now maintaining an online weekly comic strip. If you like punk or heavy metal, or anthropomorphic art (or even if you don't), please check out Zero - The Online Counter-Culture Comic Strip. I put a lot of effort into this, so please support this endevor.

Update

Saturday, October 16, 1999

Art - Renee

By now you have noticed the great changes wrought upon the Menagerie. If not... leave. Now.

I decided it was time for a change. I have been delving into still more-advanced programming, finishing up HTML (for the most part) and passing on into early JavaScript. And besides, with the Millenium approaching, I felt that it was time to give the Menagerie a facelift. It needed some character. Some... color.

This is almost entirely an appearance update. Only one piece of new artwork has been added. But for those of you who wish to see some more of my artwork... the day of reckoning is soon to arrive. Be patient. I am finishing up on a major project that will be revealed shortly.

The Menagerie 1.0

Update

Monday, September 06, 1999

Art - Acolyte of Quetzalcoatl - Lynn

Art - Bubblegum Crisis

Art - Chimaera Blooded

Art - Dragon Blooded

Art - Mermaid Blooded

Art - Miscellaneous 2

Art - Naga Blooded 5

Art - Serpent Sequence

Art - Treant Blooded

Art - Writer's Obsession

Literature - "Crusade" by Srol

Hello again. I am trying to keep up with updating this site, so it doesn't get stagnant. Today I am posting the remenants of the art I did over summer vacation. I am now back at college, so I plan on returning to higher activity on the Internet.

For the sake of convenience I am trying out a new method of listing updates to this site. The table below outlines additions and subtractions to the Menagerie. Please tell me whether this is a good idea or not.

I have been delving into more advanced HTML programming. Most of the Menagerie has been reorganized into tables, to clean things up and help insure uniformity for others viewing these pages.

I removed the Communications Forum from my site. Why? Well, no one really paid it much attention. I appologize to the three people who had signed in since it opened seven months ago. If anyone needs to contact me, or is curious about updates, please see the Transformation Forum.

I edited the Complete Guide to the Saga of Blood ever so slightly, removing three monsters that were original creations of mine. I hope to use them in a novel I am writing for publication, so no longer feel that placing them on the Internet is a good idea. If this is a problem to anyone, please let me know.

A must see in this update is a new Saga of Blood story written by Srol. It is only the first chapter, but begins to tell a tale of epic proportions. A definite must read.

And, of course, there is the new Links section. I have been taking from the transformation world for eight months; now is the time for me to begin to give back. Please visit and support these sites.

Update

Tuesday, July 27, 1999

While summer has given me much more time to work on my creative pasttimes, it has taken from me my constant Internet access. It has taken me this long to figure out a way of getting updates to my site. However, the long wait is over, and StormDrake has returned to finish what he has started. Not that it will ever be finished...

I have had over 5,000 hits! Congradulations to me. I can't wait until I reach 10,000. It is because of the many loyal TF fans out there that this is possible, and I must thank you all.

Now for the updates. I have made numerous changes to the Menagerie, in the hopes of giving it a little more character. I changed the background image, and reorganized things a bit on the various pages. All the thumbnails have been redone, and I converted as many images as I could into GIF format to save on space and download time. Once again, please check out the Transformation Forum. Also check out Wyvern, Inc, a budding umbrella organization for all my artistic venues.

I've been busy these past months working on transformative artwork. No real literature updates this time. However, I have added three new pictures to the Anthropomorphics section (including a great drawing of yours truly by Naga), eight new drawings to the Saga of Blood, and five to TF-Etc. I removed a few older pictures, ones that were simply not as good as newer art. And last (but not least) I added a new section, Animation Mutation. This is a site of fan art and transformations of existing or copyrighted images. Note that this is not photomanipulation, but that everything is hand-drawn. Two pictures may be found here; there are more to come.

Updates will be a little irregular until I return to college. In fact, there might not be any until then. But in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this artwork, and all art everywhere.

Update

Saturday, May 06, 1999

Another day, another update... I am now a member of the Fur Ring. So if you found this site through that route, welcome to my Citadel.

I've added a few things this time. First off, there are two new stories and a poem added to the Literature section, including a new Saga of Blood story. I also added four pictures to the TF Etc. section. No new Saga of Blood pictures this time, I'm afraid.

Finals are this week, beginning tomorrow. So I do not know how long it will be until my next update. However, I am going home next Thursday. That means more time, but it also means a decrease in internet access. So I do not know how often the Citadel or Menagerie will be updated in the future. However, be patient, and as always my fans shall be rewarded (...fans?).

Finally, there is a new Transformation Forum for TF fans. It is a place for general discussions and update notices for a number of different TF artists. Please go visit, and leave your mark. Also note that this Forum is different from Communications. Basically Communications will be reserved for discussions relating directly to this site, and the new Transformation Forum is for general or multi-artist topics.

Update

Thursday, April 22, 1999

Happy Earth Day! I decided to update the Menagerie in honor of the Earth and all the bounties of nature. What better way to honor nature than through the glorification of transformation? Um... Anyway, it hasn't been terribly long since the last update, but I had enough new material to warrant one, so I figured I would appease my raving fans (*cough* *cough*).

The most notable change (at least, I hope you noticed it) is a slight shift in the color scheme of the sight. I recieved a few complaints about the text being too difficult to read againsty the black background. I hope these new colors are satisfactory. If not, please e-mail me and let me know. Now then, I added four new pictures, two to TF Etc, one to Anthropomorphics, and one to the Saga of Blood. I've added a new poem to Literature as well. Finally, I've rewritten a few descriptions, and redid all the thumbnails (the old one were a little awkward, I know).

If you like what you see, let me know that I'm doing something right. It you don't like something, let me know as well. Feel free to take part in any of the discussions going on in the Communications section. And if there is anything you'd like to see, transformation, anthropomorphic, or otherwise, just ask.

Oh, and take a look at the Citadel to view a real picture of yours truly. Until next time...

Update

Wednesday, April 07, 1999

A pseudo-regular update! For some reason, I decided not to go home for Easter vacation. However, everyone else here at college did, so I had a few days worth of free time with nothing but my computer and my pen to keep me company. Among other things, I finished a number of art pieces to post on this page. I also did some writing, and reorganized the Menagerie ever so slightly.

To begin with, I finished three Saga of Blood pics, one of Aimee the naga-woman from "A Saga of Blood." I also added a new pic to TF-Etc. But the biggest art update is... the new Anthropomorphics section! I've found a renewed interest in anthropomorphic art, and completed a few pictures. Since the furry community is larger than the transformation community (disregarding overlap), I hope this will interest more visitors to the Menagerie. Expect more in the future.

I also updated huge amounts of literature. I wrote the third Saga of Blood story; entitled "Hunted," it continues the tale of Aimee. Also, many thanks go out to Stephen Tigner for being the first person to contribute to the Saga of Blood universe. Hopefully, he will not be the last. I wrote two wish-related stories; for now I am putting them under the umbrella of "Tales of Ill Wishes." And finally, I added a few poems. It seems good transformation-related poetry is as rare as anthropomorphic bird art. So I've tried to leave my mark in that area. I hope you think it's good.

There are also a few miscellaneous changes, including some renaming and reorganization of the TF-Etc section. I have some plans for future work (another Saga of Blood story, a few more pictures, et cetera), but nothing major... yet. I try to update as often as possible, but with Finals coming up, that may grow more difficult. However, I am sure summer will see a huge increase in my work. Assuming I have internet access at home.

Once again, please feel free to e-mail me and tell me what I am doing wrong (or right). Go to Communications and sign the guestbook. Have a request? I've only had one in my entire life (it's almost finished, I swear!), but there's always room for more. I just hope I don't regret those words... but then again, who wants me to draw something for them? Regardless, let me know what you think of things here.

Update

Wednesday, March 22, 1999

Actually, I did plan on doing some artwork over Spring Break, but as it is I spent little time in front of my computer. Also, the past few weeks have been Midterms here at college, so I have had little creative time to myself. This, coupled with one of the TransFur servers going down, has resulted in an extended period between updates. However, things are finally beginning to ease up, and I have had some time to work on art and writing. So, after almost a month, here is another update to the Menagerie.

I completed three new victims for the Saga of Blood. Mock them or pity them as you see fit. As for literature, I completed the second story in the Saga of Blood Universe. Entitled "To Fly Beyond the Sun," it delves into the emotional repercussions of a blood mutation. It may be found in the Literature section.

A few other slight changes: to begin with, you might have noticed the Furry Code box at the bottom of the main Menagerie page. This deals with the nature of Yours Truly. If you are interested in such things, please click on the link. Also, I am a member of the TSA-List, a mailing group of transformation-related stories and discussions. I submit my writings and occasionally comment on the topics at hand. If you are interested in this, please check out the TSA-List Homepage. Thirdly, I may also be found in the TSA IRC, #TSA_List @ Undernet. I am on sometimes in the evenings, under the handle "StormDrak" (damn nine-letter limits). Say hello if you want, and feel free to ask me any questions you wish. Here is the #TSA_List Homepage.

I have a great deal of unfinished art and writings in progress; if I ever get the time to finish them, I will update this site again. Who knows how soon, though... In the future I plan on opening an anthropomorphic section. All I need to do is to draw some anthropomorphic art.

Requests and Reminders: leave your mark in the Communications section. If you like my work, tell me what you like. If you feel something needs improvement, let me know. Feedback is encoureged, as is criticism.

Update

Saturday, February 27, 1999

Well, so much for speedy updates. It's been almost a month, but I have at long last returned with a pile of art and literature to post. College tends to keep me from working on my art too much, but Spring Break began today, so I should be able to finish lots of art this week. We'll see.

First off, I changed the layout of the Menagerie, to make things easier. Please update your bookmarks appropriately, though the index page is still the same.

Secondly, due to some system problems, the original Communications was deleted. Assured it would not happen again, I reopened Communications. Please go and sign the guestbook/forum and leave a comment or suggestion. Only through the words of others can I hope to better myself as an artist.

Finally, the moment everyone has been waiting for! The Saga of Blood is open! I finally finished "A Saga of Blood," the first story in the Saga of Blood Universe. Check it out; though I must warn that it is rather long (over 9,000 words). Along with the story I have posted four new pictures to the Saga of Blood, three of which are characters in the new story. Finally, as sort of a bonus, I created the "theme song" (for lack of a better term) of "A Saga of Blood," given the witty and original title of "A Saga of Blood." Take a listen and let me know if it is good.

2,000 HITS! Wow. I guess eventually I will have to do something special to celebrate so many hits (hey - it's no ten thousand, but it's a start).

Update

Sunday, January 31, 1999

Okay, this is the biggest update yet to the Menagerie. It seems I am updating much more often than I claimed I would. Don't expect this to last. First off, thanks to those people who sent me input on my site. Your questions and criticism are appreciated. And I will allow writers in the Saga of Blood Universe after I have written a story there myself (hopefully soon).

I've added four new pictures, three to TF-Etc and one to the Saga of Blood. I also decided to take down the Naga 1 picture from this gallery. I was never totally happy with how it looked. It was my first attempt at inking, scanning, and computer-coloring artwork. It was more of an experiment in technique than anything. Maybe I will redo it and put it up again in the future. I added a new section to the Menagerie: Communications. This is a forum/guestbook where visitors may sign in, make some comments, et cetera. Thanks to Senac for donating the forum.

Lastly, I registered my site with the Transformation Ring. Hopefully this will bring in many more visitors to my Citadel. I can't begin to number how many great artists I ran into because of this ring. I also joined TSA-Talk, so hopefully those of you there may see a piece or two by yours truly. Well, until next time...

Update

Monday, January 25, 1999

Well, after less than a month on TransFur, I am pleased to see that I have recieved over 500 hits already. Wow. However, I have yet to recieve a single e-mail giving praise to or criticizing my site. This leads me to believe that people pop in here by accident, then leave quickly when they see what is here. Please e-mail me. I cannot get better without input from others. I will never know what to change. I post this art because I wish to share my work with the world. Now I want to know what the world thinks of me and my art.

Anyway, I will continue to add to this site, with or without external input. I added three pictures, one to the Saga of Blood and two to TF-Etc. I also added an avi morph between Alicia Silverstone and a white cat; you can find this at the bottom of the main page. Due to the constraints of college and life in general, I cannot create work to post at the rate I wish I could. Don't worry, I will try to post as often as possible, probably every few weeks.

In the immediate future I plan on registering my site on the Transformation Web Ring, and possibly setting up a guest book. Maybe then I will get some input. Also, the big 500 caught me off guard. While 500 hits may not be very big for other sites, it is a milestone for the Citadel. I have something very special planned for 1,000 (though at the rate I am going at it won't be ready until 2,000). Until the next update...

Update

Sunday, January 17, 1999

Welcome all ye travelers! Today is the grand opening of the Menagerie. Next time I will wait until I write all the html code before I reserve space on a server. Oh well... I have created the various sections of the Menagerie, and scanned in all the artwork I could. I have much more work to be finished, and even more planned, so come back soon for some new victims. I would like to hear what you think of my site. To date I have gotten zero e-mails regarding my web site. Of course, there has been nothing to comment on, but now there is no longer an excuse. And please visit my home page. It's where I post my non-TF work, like music.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the Menagerie. I may be one of the newest artists on the web, but I aspire to be one of the greatest (or at least one of the most well-known). Thank you for coming here. May your stay be most comfortable.

Update

Monday, January 11, 1999

Well, after thinking it over a while, I decided to found a transformation-related web page on TransFur. This will be a home to my transformation and anthropomorphic artwork and literature. As of right now there is virtually nothing here, but as soon as I write a slew of html files and scan and color some artwork, I will post it all and have a grand opening of the Menagerie. I plan on keeping the two sections of my web page seperate. This is the easiest way to do things, as the Citadel is hosted on Fortune City and the Menagerie is on TransFur. I will link between them, however.

Come back soon, and I will have more than coming attractions for viewer's pleasure.

This site was hand-coded in Notepad+ on a PC running Windows XP at 1024 x 768 resolution in 32-bit color. It has been designed to fit a minimum of 800 x 600 resolution. DHTML, JavaScript, and Cascading Style Sheets are all implemented, but should not be required for proper navigation. Nonetheless, they are encouraged. If you have a problem viewing this site, please contact me and let me know.